It took a half-billion years of heat and pressure to convert this rocky mountainside into gneiss. Loibenberg is believed to be Austria’s oldest-surviving vineyard, with some records placing it as far back as the year 1253. Accordingly, the vines rooted in this sprawling and steeply terraced hillside are owned by some of Wachau’s greatest winemaking estates: Knoll, FX Pichler, Alzinger, Pichler-Krutzler, and, of course, Tegernseerhof. 

Their grapes are hand-harvested in small bins and gently transported to their nearby cellar where they undergo a brief who-cluster maceration in stainless steel tanks before a natural fermentation. Aging on lees occurs in these same vessels and bottling occurs without fining. 

This 2019 rendition of Loibenberg will take you aback: It’s powerfully exotic and chameleonic upon first pour so I recommend a brief 30-minute decant to allow the wine to resolve (definitely save some for day two as well!). This erupts out of the glass with kiwi, candied lime, pineapple, and mango alongside the finely crushed stone, petrol, and sweet yellow flowers. It’s incredibly plush and powerful at once, finishing with Wachau’s signature punchy minerality. Enjoy throughout this decade.